Have you ever heard the phrase, “Out of the mouth of babes?” It comes from the truth that sometimes it takes a child to reveal lasting wisdom.
For example:
· Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”
· Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don’t answer him.” Also “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”
· Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.”
· Kyoyo, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the
same time.”
· Naomi, 15 said, “If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.”
· Lauren, age 9 said, “Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.”
· Joel, 10 years old, said, “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.”
· Eileen, age 8 said, “Never try to baptize a cat.” Perhaps that’s what God had in mind when he said a little child shall lead them.
These are kids who at an early age have experienced events in life that have given them wisdom. And they have used this wisdom to give them guidance. Today we are going to discover how to obtain God’s guidance.
People will try to find God’s guidance in many areas. “As I was seeking God last night about a big decision I have to make, I saw a falling star and knew he was saying ‘Yes’”. No, you saw a meteor.
Or “I was asking God to send me a solution to a problem and I bumped into a certain person. I now know that this person is the answer to my problem.” No, you simply bumped into someone.
People look for guidance from God in their horoscopes and fortune cookies. It would be nice for some people to open a fortune cookie and it say, “Stop trying to find your fortune in a cookie and go seek God!”
Then there are the random Bible openings. People put their finger on the page, looking at whatever it says there for guidance.
But what if when they open their eyes they see “Judas went out and hung himself.” That can’t be right. So let’s try again. Close your eyes open the Bible and read, “Go do it quickly.” That type of guidance will get you killed.
God’s guidance can be found in the scriptures that we will be looking at today. Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.”
First, we must have confidence in the Lord. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Trust means to rely on him.
An elderly man was desperately ill and knew he would be dying soon. He called his three closest friends to be by his bedside.
One was a doctor, another a pastor and another a businessman.
He began by telling them, “You three are the only ones that I can be confident will follow my wishes. I know we have been taught that you can’t take it with you but I fear that if we are mistaken I will be poor in the afterlife. Therefore, I give each of you an envelope containing $100,000 in cash. When I die please put these envelopes in my coat pocket just before they close the coffin.” They all agreed to do so.
Soon the man died. Each gathered at the coffin for one last good-by and secretly placed the envelopes in his pocket. Then together they closed the lid.
Following the service, while these friends were visiting with each other, the doctor, with tears in his eyes, said, “Guys, I have a confession to make. You know with the cost of medicine today, I don’t make that much money. The hospital is desperate for funds. We can’t even replace the CAT scan machine that’s broken down. So, I took $20,000 for the new CAT scan and put the rest in the coffin.”
The pastor suddenly broke down weeping. He said, “I, too, have a confession to make. As you know, our church is seriously overburdened by the needs of the homeless. I couldn’t just see burying that money. So, in hopes of helping the homeless, I took $50,000 out of the envelope and put the rest in his pocket.”
Looking sternly at the doctor and the pastor, the businessman exclaimed, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I am astonished and deeply disappointed that you would treat a solemn trust so casually. He was our friend. I want you to know that I placed in his casket my personal check for the full $100,000.”
Unlike these three we put can our confidence in God that He will accomplish what his word says. We can rely on him.
Secondly, we must use caution with ourselves.
“Do not depend on your own understanding.”
I want everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes. I am doing this so no one will be embarrassed, so no fair cheating. By raising your hands, answer this question. How many of you trust in the Lord? Okay.
Now keeping your eyes closed and your heads bowed answer this question by raising your hands. If I were to tell you that God revealed to me that today He wants each of you to write a check to this church that would empty your bank accounts, how many would do it. If you raised your hands see me after church and I will give you a pen.
There are three reasons that you would not empty your bank account. One reason maybe is that you really don’t trust God. You say you do but deep inside you don’t believe He will provide your needs.
Another reason may be you don’t trust me. You may wonder whether I have a hidden agenda to become wealthy. That is a good trust to question. Wisdom should tell you to be careful of manipulation.
A third reason, and probably the right one, is you are depending on your own understanding. “God would never ask me to do that.”
Well, tell that to the prophet Isaiah who God commanded to walk around preaching nude for three years. Or to Ezekiel who God commanded to lay on his left side for 390 days while preparing his meals over cow manure. (It was to be human but God showed him mercy.) Then after being on his left side for over a year, he had to lie on his right side for 40 more days.
God just may ask us to do things that are not within our understanding or comfort zone. But there is always purpose to his requests.
Give consideration to his requests.
“Seek his will in all you do.” Do we seek his will in all we do? Do we even consider it? Do we seek his will in how we can serve others? Do we seek his will about our finances?
Recently there was a newspaper article about a young girl who said to her father, “Daddy, this Saturday let’s make 100 sandwiches and then drive around and hand them out to people begging for money.” I’m sure he thought it might be easier to hand them a couple of dollars through the car window instead! But this young girl caught the vision. She knew these people didn’t just need another dollar. They needed food. So she decided to give them exactly what they needed!
Luke 3:11 reads “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” It doesn’t say if your shirt is worn out, give it away. It doesn’t say give people your scraps. This is God’s will. Do you ever consider it?
Proverbs 31:8 reads “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Have you stood by while someone was being verbally bashed but you remained silent due to the fear of what others would think of you? We are to defend those who cannot defend themselves. This is God’s will. Do you ever consider it?
Matthew 18:14 reads “It is not (the) heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.” Do you consider nursery and children’s ministry a nuisance without recognizing the opportunity that has been given to you to present the Gospel of our Lord Jesus? What a great responsibility there is to be sure that not one of these perish. This is God’s will. Do you ever consider it?
Lastly, we have the conclusion about God’s guidance.
“and he will show you which path to take.” So here is the tie in.
When we trust in him instead of ourselves and consider all He asks of us, then He promises to guide our paths. Jeremiah 29:11 states “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
How many of you who are parents have plans for your children? They are good plans; plans to give hem a good future. Do you have plans to wreak disaster on your children?
How many of you adults can remember the plans your parents had for you? Did they work out? Did you become exactly what your parents planned for you? Chances are you did not. Why? Because as an adult you had the opportunity to make your own plans, your own choices. Some choices were good, some not so good. Some gave you hope, some lead to disaster.
God has plans for us. They are good plans, full of hope of a bright future. However, we have the ability to reject his plans. We have the ability to refuse his guidance. We have the ability to refuse to walk the path that He has set before us. And when the day of disaster comes, we blame God.
When we accept the divine guidance of God, certain principles must come into play. There are actions that we must apply to our lives.
1 Submission
Romans 12:1 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” We are indebted to him for all He has done for us. Often, though, we want him to submit to us.
That was the case with Jonah. God had seen the wicked people of Nineveh. He had good plans for them. He had plans to give them a hope of a future. He wanted them to divert disaster. He needed a prophet to declare this word to them and He chose Jonah. But Jonah hated the people of Nineveh. He wanted them to face disaster and destruction. So he refused to give himself as a living and holy sacrifice, which almost lead to his destruction.
Have you ever noticed that geese fly in a V formation? The reason is as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. In a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone. When a goose gets tired, it rotates to the back of the formation and another goose flies at the point position. Geese in the rear of the formation honk to encourage those up front to increase their speed.
God desires to be our point man. He wants to lead the formation. He will never tire or drop back. His desire is for us to fly with him. When we fly on our own, we will meet resistance and soon grow tired. His desire is for us to praise him, not because He needs our encouragement but, rather, we need to feel his presence. Each time you see geese in the air, let it be a reminder of the importance of submitting to God.
2 Searching
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.”
How many of you remember when there were no such places as multiplex theaters. Movie theaters were free standing with only one screen. I remember when multiplex theaters began to be built offering a wide variety of movies.
Debbie and I were at one such theater years ago. The movie had just begun when a man loaded down with drinks and popcorn made his way into the theater. He began wondering up and down the stairs looking for his companion. In frustration, he whispers loudly “Fred! Fred!”
After several attempts without any results some one in the crowd loudly responded “Ssshew.” His response was “Ssshew my butt. I’m lost. Fred! Fred!” He then left, probably realizing he had wondered into the wrong theater.
Sometimes we are like Fred’s friend. We are wondering through life calling out “God! God!” and getting no response. Perhaps the problem is we are on the wrong path. If you have ever been camping and had to visit the potty in the darkness of night, you really appreciate a flashlight. It lights up the obstacles and dangers that are in front of you. And it can light your path all the way to your destination.
God’s word is designed to do that same thing. It will alert you to the obstacles and dangers that will affect you spiritually and physically. It will also light the path He has chosen for you.
3 Supplication
James 1:5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
Have you ever been in a situation where you did not want to ask a question because it might make you sound dumb? Questions like; Why do they call it after dark when it's really after light? Why isn’t the number 11 pronounced onety-one? Why are Softballs hard? Is a gold knife and fork still considered Silverware? Why isn't Chocolate considered a vegetable if it comes from Cocoa Beans?
We don’t ask these kinds of questions because they are silly. But asking God for wisdom is not. I believe we often are afraid to ask for wisdom because God might respond like many parents “You should know better.” But we have the promise that He will not rebuke us.
4 Suggestions
Proverbs 15:22 “Plans go wrong for lack of advice;
many advisers bring success.” We need to surround ourselves with people who care about our future and us. We need to seek advice from those who are invested in seeing us spiritually and physically healthy. But we can receive all the godly advice offered to us and it does not help if we chose to ignore it.
A doctor goes to a party one night and sees one of his patients out on the dance floor with a beautiful woman. The doctor goes up to his patient and asks, “What are you doing?” The patient responded, “I’m just following your advice!” “What advice?” the doctor replied. “You told me to find a hot mama and be cheerful.” The doctor responded in disbelief, “That’s not what I said. What I said to you was that you had a heart murmur and you need to be careful.”
5 Satisfaction
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” When we have achieved arriving at the point of accepting God’s guidance we are blessed with what I call a “gut feeling” for the lack of a better word. It is a settling in your spirit that you are hearing from God and making the right choice.
It requires time. It requires prayer. It requires seeking him in his word. But it gives you not only a sense of well being but a double sense of well being. A peace beyond understanding.
That is our challenge. To have confidence in God. To be weary of our own reasoning. To consider what He has called us to do. And to conclude that we will follow the path He has decided for us.
In doing so we will submit to him. We will seek his ways through the word. We will ask of him for wisdom to understand. We will seek others for godly advice. And we will live in perfect peace.
